Comments on: Column: Ann Arbor, a One-Party Town

By: Mary Rinne Barnett

Mary Rinne Barnett — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:35 +0000

I worked for Bruce Laidlaw as an attorney for about 15 years–he was outstanding. A brilliant lawyer, non-political, helpful but never micro-managing, and always ethical. A huge void in corporate history was created by his leaving. You can see this from his knowledge of the history of the City

By: Sabra Briere

Sabra Briere — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:54:05 +0000

Re#4: The City Council actively redistricted in 1981, after the census. (The City redistricts every 10 years.) The Republican majority on Council drew the ward boundaries to create (in my view) two solid Republican wards (2nd and 4th); 1 solid Democratic ward (1st) and two swing wards that were expected to swing R more often than D (3rd and 5th).

The war in Vietnam was over by 1975; Nixon was out of the White House; the $5 Marijuana possession charter amendment was passed. A lot of the issues that had energized a young electorate were non-issues; those folks graduated and moved on toward the next phase of their lives. By 1983, Democrats were mourning the decrease in student activism and student turnout.

I don’t remember clearly the 1971 ward boundaries, but I know that in 1981 the revision moved the boundaries counter-clockwise, with each boundary moving left by several streets (without moving, I moved from the 4th to the 5th Ward, for instance). The City also moved left, and by the end of that decade, Republicans tended to win only the 2nd and 4th Wards.

The elections were changed to November in 1992, as Mr. Laidlaw states. The rest is history.

By: Edward Vielmetti

Edward Vielmetti — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:06:05 +0000

When did the city redistrict council wards so that there was no longer a "student ward"? 1973 elections generated posters like this one: [link] Nothing like that now.

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:48:50 +0000

Re: spelling of Sallade; thanks.

By: Joan Lowenstein

Joan Lowenstein — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:44:46 +0000

It’s a good thing we can now collect taxes from lunatics and idiots. Surprisingly, that did not take a charter amendment.

By: Leah Gunn

Leah Gunn — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:46:18 +0000

It’s spelled Sallade not Salade.